Lose the Cloak?
by ivedonestranger
Summary: Life was so good until Robin saw Raven at the pool. Life and thoughts were never the same again. Non prompt RobRae for RobRae Week 2019!


**A/N: Not only another RobRae week 2019 addition but also a gift for ****The_Samurai_Prince.**

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Biology. It's a bitch. At least that was what Robin was thinking after the week they had gone to the Jump City community pool. It had been a scorcher of an afternoon that fateful day and Beast Boy was desperate to swim. As usual, anything to do with water, Starfire was all ready for since her planet did not have a lot and the fact that humans of Earth swam in it fascinated her. Robin would go as a chaperone while Cyborg and Raven usually found an excuse to avoid it. This day, Raven decided to go too.

Since the defeat of Trigon and the disappearance of Slade, Jump City had become calm. Most of the HIVE 5 had disbanded to follow more legal careers. Robin had seen Gizmo a few times at the tower working with Cyborg on some technology he was developing as a freelancer for Wayne Enterprises. Jinx had taken up a mercenary position with the HIVE, acting as a hero in her own right, though it was more about protecting dignitaries in foreign lands so they would not get kidnapped. Mammoth, of course, did not go far from the mistress of Bad luck's side and acted as her tank when needed.

Now, the city mostly dealt with the usual criminals which meant the Titans now had to keep PR in mind. Robin had decided the outing would be great for Public Relations, the Titans side by side with the people they protected. He knew how it would go. The kids would absolutely enjoy Garfield changing into all sorts of different animals (though Robin specifically warned him about any shark forms), while the boys would be chatting up Starfire. The innocent Tamaranian Princess would just love the attention. He, on the other hand, would camp out under an umbrella with his computer and finish up paperwork, fielding a few questions from the men about his job and his teammates. That's how it always went. None of those plans took Raven into consideration.

The pool was not packed but it had a decent amount of people. The public was ecstatic when they walked in, Robin in his trunks and white t-shirt while still sporting his mask, Beast Boy in his own maroon trunks and a ducky floater that he had to wear because of a lost bet with their resident sorceress, and Starfire in a two-piece bikini in the same color as her usual clothes. Her hair was back in a pony tail, and Robin had taken a moment just to appreciate the girl's natural beauty before going right back to his computer screen. He had more important things to handle then interest in women. That, was before Raven took off her cloak.

She had arrived a little later than the others and Robin had looked up to watch her to make sure she got comfortable. She had set up under an umbrella on the opposite side of the pool and dropped her cloak and tossed it on the lawn chair beside her. His heart skipped a beat when he caught sight of the black one-piece swimsuit with a small red gem at her throat. It was not a low cut top but it showed off every curve the azerathian girl had. His heart skipped a few beats, and she moved around her little nest, laying out her blanket and piling two or three books besides her. She had her sunglasses on and quickly laid out and began to read.

Why was he staring? Why the hell was he staring at his best friend and thinking the thoughts he did? It was not the first time he had seen her without her cloak, and there was no much difference between the leotard and the swimsuit she presently wore, but there was something, sensual about the way she laid on the blanket absently kicking her feet she had lifted of the ground.

Richard Grayson was glad that he was in his own mind and nobody else could hear him. His mind was no longer on the paperwork he wanted to finish but on his friend. The angle of her hips, the swell of her chest as she breathed and curves of her ass. Irresistible curiosity struck him of what she looked like without the swimsuit. At that point, he immediately shifted his computer a bit lower to make sure nobody knew what he was thinking.

'_What the hell is wrong with me?'_

Since that day, Robin could not help but notice Raven as they worked, fought, and trained together. She was alluring with every move and caused his heart to beat rapidly when he instructed her personally. Things have gotten so uncomfortable and had opted for looser training clothing lately.

Raven's leg made contact with the training bag, and it was followed by a curse and the sound of her landing on her butt. Raven growled and pushed herself up while Robin tried to look everywhere but the woman on the ground.

"What the hell am I doing wrong, Robin?" Raven demanded. "it's a simple kick but I can't keep my balance."

"Ummm…." What was she doing? All he could remember was the sway of her body and how nicely she was filling out her uniform that day.

"Earth to Robin," Raven chimed right in front of him. The smell of her scent and sweat mixed together and he immediately snapped to.

"Sorry, I was...distracted."

"What is so distracting in here?" Raven asked hands planted on beautiful hips.

'_Oh, I wish I could tell you,'_ he thought but kept it to himself. He shook his head and tried to focus.

"You're shifting your weight to quick and also have a tendency to stand on your toes," Robin explained. "You also need to put the turn in your hip, not your leg."

"What?" Raven glared. "I hate this combat stuff. Can't I just smack the bag with a spell and call it a day?"

"No, You have to get this in case you are disabled of your powers. We have no idea who we will be fighting next."

"Yeah, I know," Raven grumbled pushing a bit of her purple hair out of her eyes. She walked back over to the bag and stood there. Robin watched her, admiring the view.

"You gonna help or what?"

"What?"

"The kick," she said. "I saw you showing Beast Boy. You can touch me for this part."

Robin almost had a heart attack right there. Raven never allowed anyone to touch her and had made it clear that there had to be specific permission before anyone else was allowed. She had seen him training Beast Boy, probably the clumsiest of the Titans, showing him how to swing his hip in a way that allowed the most power in his kick. Now, the dark goddess in front of him said he could touch her.

Gingerly, he walked over and stood behind her, looking at the fantastic view that presented itself. He placed his hands on waist and slid his hands down until he felt the bones of the hips. Damn, she felt good to touch. Did he hear her gasp? Did she like being touched?

"You enjoying yourself?" she asked sarcastically.

Nope. She probably didn't.

"Sorry, Just making sure I had the right position. Now, start your kick."

That was the most glorious fifteen minutes of the day.

Sleep was difficult, his dreams filled with erotic adventures with the other bird in the tower. He woke up a few times through the night thinking that she was nestled in with him only to find the bed empty and his heart aching. Emotions of all kinds rioted in his brain. Robin knew he loved Raven as a best friend and compatriot, but lately, he had found other desires. A love of her that seemed more profound and also correlated with his desire to have her to himself.

The morning he awoke with only a few hours of sleep, he walked in to be greeted with a view of Raven bent over fishing through the dishwasher for a spoon. She had yet to put on the cloak that was sitting on the counter.

Robin groaned to himself.

Raven peered around at him. "You okay?"

"Was sick most of the night," Robin lied trying to keep his eyes on the coffee pot and not the presented derriere.

Raven continued fishing for the spoon, took it to the sink for another scrub, and then finished her brewed tea. Through this Robin had finished his own cup of coffee and was sitting at the island where she took up the seat in front of him.

"You've been weird lately, you okay?" Raven asked after taking a sip.

"Me weird?" Robin asked.

"I'm not blind, Rob, I've seen you staring at me."

"Sorry, lost in thought sometimes," he lied again. He felt her mind probe his gently through their special link but he quickly blocked it, and she retreated through a frown replaced her neutral expression.

"It's not like you to lie to me, Robin. What's going on?" she pressed.

"Nothing. I'm just observant."

"About what?"

"About...things."

"Like?"

"You know...things."

"What type of things is there that you need to stare at me all the time?"

"I was just observing, Raven, no harm."

"I'm not worth observing, Robin. What did you see that made you concerned?"

"I'm not concerned. I just thought-"

"What?"

"Nothing."

"What, Robin?"

"I said-"

"Robin!"

"Fine. I thought you look pretty good and should spend more time not wearing your cape."

The color fled his face as he blurted the words in frustration. He wanted to backpedal, to retreat, to run to his room, seal the door, and never come out again. His own saving grace was that no other members of the team were there to hear what he had said.

Raven, on the other hand, was stunned, but that expression wore off, and a smile and twinkle appeared in her eyes.

"Robin," Raven said cooing. "Are you saying you find me….sexy?"

'_Oh, god,'_ Robin choked as she leaned forward on her hands giving him an accidental view of her cleavage. The message must have blared through their emotional link like an air horn because her grin grew even wider.

"So, the boy wonder is actually human. Bumblee and I were wondering if you were asexual, gay or a machine. I guess we just did not know what you liked."

'_Please kill me now?'_ Where was Slade when you wanted to be put out of your misery? Raven leaned in close not releasing the hold she had on him.

"So, what about me caught your attention? Was it my eyes?" she blinked them quickly and his heart felt like it was going to explode.

"or..." she stood and came over to him and leaned in close, so her voice was a whisper. "were you thinking of other things. Was Robin really thinking of things he could do to my body? Were you thinking of taking me to your bed, undressing me, and doing all sorts of perverted things to me?"

It was not his heart that almost exploded that time.

Raven pulled back, and the rarest and lightest laughs escaped her. It was like an angel had found his situation funny.

"Oh, Robin, you are such a ding dong," Raven said with a broad smile. "I'm so flattered you found me interesting but trust me, I'm quite boring and there are much prettier girls to think about."

'_but I don't want to,'_ Robin thought to himself and wishing she was close again.

"I'm going to go drink my tea while you calm down," Raven said planting a kiss on his forehead. "I'll see you at training."

Robin had hoped that the shutdown and dismissal of his feelings would have been the end of it. His infatuation of Raven had hit so suddenly that he was sure that it was some sort of fluke. As loving and pleasant as her laugh was, it should have been a bucket of cold water on his interest. It had not. What did not help was the fact that she was aware and did not mind taking advantage of him.

He was sure she was doing it for a laugh as best friends do, but it was sheer torture at times to have her so close yet so far. Robin just wanted to take her in his arms, to hold her, to make her his.

So, for the next week, he dealt with her snuggling into him in training, joining beast boy in a dancing competition, right in front of Robin, ass eye level in front of the community couch, on his side, so that was all that filled his vision and other torments.

As much as he hated it, he loved the secret games with her, and Raven seemed to be enjoying the undivided attention he was giving her. Having been freed of Trigon's influence, she was able to experiment with her emotions and why not do it with a trusted friend?

Today, Robin sat in his room sweating as Cyborg had been upgrading the tower and it malfunctioned. Everything was on the fritz including the air conditioning, and Cyborg did not think he was going to get it repaired to some parts were delivered. That meant suffering for a day or two.

The reports were done, and Robin was presently reading one of the autobiographies he collected when there was a sharp rap on the door.

"Enter," Robin said absentmindedly as he flipped the page. The door swished open, and he looked up to see something he was not expecting.

Raven stood there with her clothes clutched in one hand, and the hand holding a towel that was wrapped around her body. Robin's mouth went dry at the lovely visage.

"Damn him," Raven swore as she stood there, hip jutted to the side in anger.

"Wha...what happened?" Robin asked.

"Cyborg's upgrades. Put all the showers on the fritz. I did a check of the systems, and it seems yours is fine since you decided to keep your room's system on a different subnet. Thank goodness for your paranoia."

"Okay," Robin asked trying to keep his eyes above her lovely smooth collarbone.

"I need to use your shower and get this sweat off. It's really bothering my skin today," Raven asked. "Can I use your shower?"

"Go..go ahead."

"Thanks, I appreciate. I owe you."

'_Just let me join you,' _Robin thought to himself.

He watched her go in and tried to swallow when a bit of beautiful gray skin peeked through the folds of her towel.

'_I need to lie down,'_

Robin grabbed his book and laid on his back on his bed and closed his eyes trying to concentrate and ignore the fact that there was a naked girl in his shower only a few feet away. The world felt like it got quite more complicated since he discovered his love for Raven and the hormones that he was able to ignore, no longer willing to remain quiet. What had he become? Why was he acting like this?

"It's my fault,"

Robin's eyes jerked open blinking and feeling the taste of sleep in his mouth. He had actually passed out. Raven sat on the bed beside him, her wet hair still fresh and skin glowing from the shower.

"What's your fault?"

"The explicit thoughts," Raven said with red caressing her beautiful cheeks. "I...I looked in your mind without permission. I'm sorry."

"Why did you do that?" Robin asked angrily, more upset the fact she may have seen the fantasies he had over the fact she was in his mind. There was no one else he would trust.

"I wanted to know what was really bothering you and I didn't realize what was happening to you." she admitted sheepishly. "it started at the pool, didn't it."

"Yeah," Robin answered quietly.

"I...I was reading an adult romance novel with some...um...erotic scenes in it and I think when you looked at me, and I glanced at you, I may have initiated a connection and implanted some of my thoughts into your mind."

"So, I'm horny because you made me so?"

"Well, I can't take full responsibility," she scoffed. "There has to be something there beforehand to work."

Her eyes looked at him closely, and she asked the question he wanted to hear but was scared to.

"Are...are you interested in me...more than friends, Robin?"

"Hell yes!"

Well, that was not as romantic or suave as he had wanted it to be, but a big smile appeared on her face.

"You're just so beautiful, Raven," Robin exploded. "You have been my friend for such a long time, and I have always had faith and you and wanted the best. Only recently have I realized I need more of you than just your company. I need your companionship, your touch, your laugh, those eyes. I want you, Raven your mind, heart, and soul."

"..and body, I hope?" She asked sarcastically, but there was a hint of concern.

"You are the most beautiful woman on this planet, Raven. It's been miserable not having you. You're bloody gorgeous and that ass of yours-"

He abruptly stopped choking on what he said, but she giggled. "I'm glad it's appreciated. Robin, I really like you to. I think...I think we should talk about maybe...being more than just friends?"

It was a question, but Robin did not hesitate, he sat up and gently took her face in his hands and kissed the lips that he had wanted to kiss for so long. At first, Raven was startled by the illegal personal contact but melted into his kiss passionately giving as much as she was getting. Breaking free, they both gulped in air.

"Well, I can see we have feelings for each other," Raven gasped trying to breathe.

"I can't live without you, Rae," Robin answered honestly.

Raven took his hand and gave him a gentle smile. "There would be no life without you, Robin. I think we should tell the others before we do anything else. They need to know, so they understand the dynamic."

Great, the waggling eyebrows, and the inevitable questions from Starfire of what "human sexual intercourse was like" and wanting it described in detail.

"I think you're right," Robin said with a heavy sigh as if a weight was off his shoulders.

"On the plus side," she grinned and poke him in the arm. "You might be able to show me some of those fantasies you were thinking about."

'_Damn,'_Robin thought to himself. _'What a woman.'_

'_You know I am,'_she responded in his mind.


End file.
